Results of IMDS-2017 - The Navy needs better armed and more balanced "muscular ships"? July 4th, 2017

If we sum up the statements voiced in the media “ responsible persons”during the days of the International Naval Salon IMDS-2017, I personally had, I hope not false, the impression that, finally, domestic design bureaus (PKB) began to receive quite clear tactical and technical requirements from the Navy and, in turn , to offer the Navy fairly balanced projects for combat surface ships.

Moving from small to large and from simple to complex, the first thing to do is probably to mention the class of small missile ships (RTOs).

Small rocket ships

CEO Zelenodolsk plant named after Gorky Renat Mistakhov said that the plant will improve the project of small missile ships (RTOs) of the Buyan-M type, making them more seaworthy. The updated version of RTOs will have a new hull shape, and in terms of its capabilities it will approach corvettes.

Information that a very strange alteration in RTOs of a flat-bottomed small artillery ship (MAK) “river-sea” of the “Buyan” type, once designed for the surface forces of the Caspian flotilla, is being redesigned into a ship with seaworthiness acceptable for the conditions of the same Mediterranean Sea, and I hope, with reinforced weapons, it can only please.

If the armament of the improved RTOs of the Zelenodolsk plant does not differ significantly in its capabilities from the armament of the 800-ton RTOs of project 22800 (“Karakurt”) already under construction, then this attempt by the Zelenodolsk workers should still be recognized as counterproductive. If it is successful and the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation purchases RTOs of a new project in the Navy, the number will only increase different types warships differ little from one another in their combat capabilities.

covets

Who, however, can be surprised by the simultaneous construction of RTOs for the Navy of two different projects, if domestic shipbuilders are simultaneously building corvettes for our Navy of three different projects at once: 20380, 20385 and 20386?

It all started at one time with the cancellation of the already begun construction of the TFR project 12441 of the Novik type, which, with its total displacement of 2900 tons, the 18th Onyx anti-ship missile and the gas turbine power plant, was recognized as “too large and expensive for a corvette coastal zone”.

Corvettes of project 20380 of the Steregushchy type with a design total displacement of 2100 tons, the 8th Uran missile defense system and a diesel power plant, as it was believed, should have been more consistent with the requirements of the Navy for ships of this type. However, the strike armament and air defense capabilities of the Project 20380 ships were later found to be insufficient.

The Kortik-M air defense system installed on the lead corvette “Steregushchy” was replaced on the first serial corvette by the Redut air defense system with a UVP for 12 cells, and at the beginning of 2012 the first corvette of project 20385 was laid down, which is an improved corvette of project 20380 with slightly increased displacement. The reason for this was the strengthening of the armament of the corvette due to the replacement of the Uran anti-ship missile defense system with an 8-cell UVP Caliber-NK anti-ship missile system, and an increase in the number of cells of the Redut air defense system from 12 to 16.

However, already in 2013, project 20385 corvettes were found to be too expensive:

“The main thing that does not suit us is that it is too high price and excessive weapons - cruise missiles "Caliber", working on sea and land targets. Project 20385 does not meet the requirements of the fleet”

As a result, in 2016, the first corvette of the "modular" project 20386 ... was laid with a displacement of 3400 tons and an expensive gas turbine power plant.

“Excessive armament” on this ship, which almost caught up with project 11356 in terms of displacement, was decided not to put on this ship (except to add it in the form of modules). The diagrams show two four-container launchers of the Uran SCRC.

However, this is far from the end of the story. As Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin noted the other day:

“Of course, the main emphasis that we are making today on the Navy is "muscular" ships that have the ability to carry a huge amount of weapons. That is, our conventional corvette of smaller displacement should be equal in power to the conventional cruiser, which is in service with the Western Navy "

Apparently in connection with the mentioned emphasis, the Krylov State Research Center presented at IMDS-2017 a model of the Breeze corvette with a normal displacement of 1980 tons, a diesel-gas turbine power plant, a UVP for 24 Caliber-NK missiles, 24 cells of the Redut air defense system ... and it looks like no helicopter hangar.

It also became known that the Northern Design Bureau is developing a “heavy” corvette of project 23800, which “will become an intermediate link between a corvette and a frigate”, apparently acting as an alternative to the project of the Krylov State scientific center.

Promising frigate

In contrast to the intriguing constant change in conceptual views on domestic ships of the near sea zone of the corvette type, the concept of a promising domestic frigate has undergone less dramatic changes over time.

The lead promising frigate of project 22350 “Admiral of the Fleet Soviet Union Gorshkov" has not yet entered service, and its shortcomings are already known - the relatively small capacity of the UVP for missiles (32 cells) and strike weapons - 16 missiles of the Caliber-NK complex (I remind you that the specialists of the Krylovsky state center plan to arm their promising corvette "Breeze" with 24 missiles of the "Caliber-NK" complex), insufficient economic speed - 14 knots.

Therefore, it is stated that the number of launchers for missiles and the displacement of the promising frigate of project 22350M will increase. Only one thing is not clear, whether the displacement will increase by about a thousand tons, or will grow to 8 thousand tons, as the media have been writing lately. In the second case, the ship can no longer be considered a modification of the project 22350 frigate. It will be completely new project, albeit inheriting a number of architectural features and internal equipment from the frigate of project 22350. With an increase in the total displacement to 8 thousand tons, we can expect an increase in the number of launchers for missiles in comparison with the Gorshkov by about half and the appearance of a hangar for a second helicopter. Even if such a ship is classified as a frigate in the Russian Navy, it will most likely be classified as a destroyer abroad.

"Leader"

During the days of IMDS-2017, it was announced that the draft design of the new generation destroyer “Leader” was approved by the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation. It was once again clarified that the ship would receive a nuclear power plant and noted that the timing of the start of construction of the series would be determined at the stage of technical design. I think it's new additional information we will not receive any information about the project in the near future.

Promising landing ships

During the days of IMDS-2017, it was announced that the Russian Navy plans to receive two promising landing ships by 2025 as part of the new state armaments program. It is not yet clear whether these will be DVKDs designed by the Nevsky Design Bureau with a displacement of about 15,000 tons with a flight deck for helicopters in the stern, or they will be carrier-based UDCs with a continuous flight deck. In the second case, we can talk about two competing projects. The layout of the Lavina UDC with a displacement of about 23 thousand tons was once again presented by the Krylov State Scientific Center at IMDS-2017. It is also known that the Nevskoye Design Bureau is designing a UDC with a displacement of about 30 thousand tons.

I'm already talking about the project of the Krylov State Research Center. . I will not repeat.

Regarding the UDC project, nothing is known from the Nevsky Design Bureau, except for the displacement. At the same time, it is not even clear whether this displacement is normal or full. Taking into account the great experience of the Nevsky Design Bureau team, gained during the redesign of the TAKR project 1143.4 "Admiral Goshkov" into the light aircraft carrier "Vikramaditya", as well as in the course of participation in the development of the project of the Indian light aircraft carrier "Vikrant", I personally am very interested in whether the developers of Nevsky will try Design Bureau to offer our Navy basing on the projected 30 thousand-ton UDC MiG-29K, or not. If not, then the domestic promising UDC of the Nevsky Design Bureau will become the largest ship of this class, on which only helicopters will be based.

Aircraft carriers

As Vice Admiral Viktor Bursuk, Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Navy for armaments, said a few days ago, the design of a promising Russian multi-purpose aircraft carrier is included in the state arms program until 2025. “Yes, of course, the Navy will build an aircraft carrier”, - TASS quotes him as saying - “Various bureaus are being worked on to determine the appearance of this ship”.

Based on the words of Vice Admiral Bursuk, we can conclude that the Navy has not yet decided on how the “technical face” of a promising multi-purpose aircraft carrier will look like, and I think it is unlikely to finally decide before 2025. Is it possible to assume with great certainty that the ship will be equipped with a nuclear power plant.

It should be noted that the Krylov State Research Center, which previously offered the Navy and foreign customers a conceptual design for the multi-purpose aircraft carrier "Storm" with a displacement of 95-100 thousand tons, also began an initiative study of the technical appearance of more simple lung aircraft carrier " the combat capabilities of which are not much inferior to the aircraft carrier "Storm".

Well, competition in the field of designing domestic aircraft carriers of two organizations, the Krylov State Research Center and the Nevsky Design Bureau, is certainly better than one monopoly designer.

Thank you for your attention!

TASS-DOSIER. On July 20, 2017, the Naval Ensign of the Russian Federation was solemnly hoisted on the corvette "Perfect" of project 20380. Built at the Amur Shipbuilding Plant (Komsomolsk-on-Amur, Khabarovsk Territory), the ship became part of the Pacific Fleet of the Russian Navy.

Ships of projects 20380/20385 - a series of multi-purpose corvettes (patrol ships) of the near sea zone. Developed by the Almaz Central Marine Design Bureau (St. Petersburg) in the late 1990s - 2000s. General designer - Alexander Shlyakhtenko, chief designer - Igor Ivanov. The ships are designed to perform escort and strike missions in the near sea zone, patrolling coastal waters, and sentinel service.

Tactical and technical characteristics (for projects 20380/20385)

The length of the corvette is 104.5 m;
- width - 13 m;
- draft - 7.95 m;
- total displacement - 2 thousand 200 tons;
- home power plant- two-shaft diesel (two units DDA12000 manufactured by JSC "Kolomensky Zavod", with a capacity of 12 thousand horsepower each);
- full speed - up to 27 knots (about 50 km / h);
- cruising range - 3 thousand 500 nautical miles (about 6 thousand 400 km);
- autonomy of navigation - 15 days;
- crew - 99 people.

Armament

Armament - launchers of anti-ship missiles "Caliber-NK" or "Uranus" (depending on the modification of the ship), anti-aircraft missile system "Kortik-M" or "Polyment-Redut", two AK-630M artillery mounts of 30 mm caliber, artillery mount A-190 caliber 100 mm, two machine gun mounts caliber 14.5 mm and two grenade launchers DP-64. Anti-submarine and anti-torpedo protection - two torpedo tubes of the Paket complex, caliber 330 mm.

The Ka-27 helicopter can be based on the ship.

Modifications

20380P and 20383 - projects of border patrol ships (not implemented);
- 20382 - export version capable of performing tasks in the far sea zone (not implemented);
- 20385 - modernization of the basic project with enhanced anti-aircraft missile and anti-ship weapons. Initially, it was planned to install diesel units of the German company MTU Friedrichshafen on ships of this modification, however, after the company refused to supply engines in connection with the sanctions imposed against the Russian Federation in 2014, it was decided to use Russian-made units.
- 20386 - a project of a new generation corvette with modular weapons, a superstructure made of composite materials, reduced radar visibility compared to its predecessors, increased displacement (3 thousand 400 tons) and cruising range (9 thousand 260 km), reduced crew size (80 people ).

Ship series

Currently, four project 20380 corvettes are serving in the Russian Navy, and six more are under construction. In the framework of the state program for the development of weapons for 2011-2020, the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation in 2011 signed a contract with JSC Shipbuilding Plant Severnaya Verf (St. Petersburg) for the construction of nine ships of the modernized project 20385. However, in May 2015, representatives of the plant reported that project 20385 is being phased out due to problems with imported components. It will be used to build two ships ("Thundering" and "Agile") with the replacement of foreign components with domestic ones, the rest of the ships will be built according to the modernized project 20380.
- Project 20380 lead ship "Guarding" (side number 530, factory - 1001) was laid down on December 21, 2001 at Severnaya Verf, launched on May 16, 2006, as part of the Baltic Fleet from February 28, 2008.
- First serial corvette - "Savvy"(tail number 531, serial number 1002), laid down on May 20, 2003 at Severnaya Verf, launched on March 31, 2010, in the Baltic Fleet since October 14, 2011.
- "Smart"(tail number 532, serial number 1003) was laid down on May 27, 2005 at Severnaya Verf, launched on April 15, 2011, as part of the Baltic Fleet from May 16, 2013.
- "Perfect"(serial number 2101) was laid down on June 30, 2006 at the Amur Shipbuilding Plant (Amur Shipyard), launched on May 22, 2015, as part of the Pacific Fleet from July 20, 2017.
- "Persistent"(tail number 545, factory 1004) was laid down on November 10, 2006 at Severnaya Verf, launched on May 30, 2012, in the Baltic Fleet since July 18, 2014.
- "Loud"(serial number 2102) was laid down on April 20, 2012 at the Amur Shipyard, delivery to the fleet is expected in 2018.
- "Hero Russian Federation Aldar Tsydenzhapov"(serial number 2103) was laid down at the Amur Shipyard on July 22, 2015. The corvette was named after the sailor from the destroyer "Bystry" Aldar Tsydenzhapov, who on September 24, 2010 prevented a fire in the engine room of the ship, and died a few days later from his burns. The actions of the sailor made it possible to save the ship and the lives of the rest of the crew. November 16, 2010 Tsydenzhapov was posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the Russian Federation.
- "Cutting"(serial number 2104) was laid down on July 1, 2016 at the Amur Shipyard.
- "zealous"(serial number 1007) was laid down on February 20, 2015 at Severnaya Verf.
- "Strict"(serial number 1008) was laid down on February 20, 2015 at Severnaya Verf.
The contracts provide for the construction of four more ships of the series at Severnaya Verf (serial numbers 1010-1013), two at the Amur Shipyard (serial numbers 2105-2106). There is an option for two more ships.

Also, two corvettes are being built at Severnaya Verf according to the revised project 20385:
- "Thundering"(serial number 1005) was laid down on February 1, 2012, launched on June 30, 2017, transfer to the fleet is expected before the end of 2018.
- "Prompt"(serial number 1006) was laid down on July 25, 2013, launching is expected in 2018.

Another corvette is being built at Severnaya Verf under project 20386:
- "Bold"(serial number 1009) laid down on October 28, 2016

In the fall of 2016, a new warship, Project 20386 Derzkiy corvette, was laid down on the stocks of the Severnaya Verf shipyard in St. Petersburg. The laying ceremony was held in a solemn atmosphere and was dedicated to the 350th anniversary of the Russian Navy. Despite the solemnity of the situation, this event was received ambiguously among military experts. Many of the military experts in the field of modern shipbuilding were skeptical about the beginning of the construction of ships of this class. The prospects for the new Russian project 20386 corvettes are rather vague, even considering the fact that the design of the ship contains a number of innovative ideas and developments.

The reason for this state of affairs is rooted deep in the bowels of the Ministry of Defense and the Main Naval Headquarters of the Russian Navy. Neither the first nor the second departments are still able to decide on the concept of the development of the fleet at the present stage. What ships does the domestic fleet need in the first place, what tasks should new ships solve, and are new ship projects needed, the implementation of which is in doubt?

History with project 20386

The new corvette, which received the heroic name "Daring", is the prototype of the ship of the future. During the creation of the ship, the designers of the Almaz Central Design Bureau took into account the misses and mistakes made during the implementation of the previous project 20380. The creators decided to aim at something more and make a fundamentally new ship, something between a patrol ship and a frigate. The new brainchild of Almaz Design Bureau was classified as a corvette, but in reality it looks more like a destroyer - a more powerful and larger ship.

In accordance with the terms of reference, the project 20386 corvette must successfully confront the enemy on the near and far approaches to the sea borders of our country. The combat functions assigned to the new ships are impressive. We can say that the designers were tasked with accommodating the capabilities inherent in ships of different classes into one project, namely:

• protection of sea communications within the 200-mile economic zone;
• countering the ships of a potential enemy at any distance from the bases of the fleet;
• ensuring stable air defense of ship formations from strikes by means of air attack;
• search, detection and destruction of submarines in a given area;
• providing air defense and fire support to landing operations.

With such a wide range of combat missions, the new ship should be significantly different from its predecessors and have special qualities. It was necessary to create a warship with striking power and at the same time capable of performing patrol, military and police functions. Whether such a decision will be correct, time will tell. For patrol ship and floating launch platform new corvette too big In addition, there is a question about the construction period of a series of such vessels and the total cost of the project.

In the Russian fleet, there is a tendency to create different types of ships capable of solving similar combat missions. The most unpleasant thing is that all new projects are limited to small series. This does not make it possible to equip the fleet with modern combat ships in the required quantities in a timely manner.

Therefore, the designers in the new project 20386, which has become an improved version of the project 20380 corvettes, decided to reduce the number of weapons, reduce the combat load on the ship's structure. The opinion prevailed that the corvette is a ship performing somewhat different tasks. Escort and patrol tasks are more inherent in ships of this class, and strike functions are not typical for them. Building a corvette at a cost comparable to the price of a frigate is impractical. In addition, corvettes, as a class of ships, are urgently needed by the fleets for operations in the Baltic, the Black Sea and the Pacific maritime theater.

In the new project, everything possible was done to avoid a catastrophic delay in construction. For example, four project 20380 corvettes were built for almost 8 years! During this time, navigation and radar equipment has become obsolete, weapons systems and methods of fighting at sea have gone ahead. Building a deliberately old ship is wasteful. Corvettes are an intermediate class of military vessels, especially since the main feature of this class is their low cost and mass construction. Making a ship a powerful strike combat unit is not practical, and there is no reason to turn such a ship into a specialized air defense system either. For these purposes, it is necessary to build ships of other classes and in a different quantity.

Distinctive features of the project 20386

After a long and painful search the best option the designers made the only right decision: to build new corvettes in principle new scheme. The ship should have a small displacement and a balanced set of weapons. The ships use an integrated common system superstructures and hull complex of low-profile architecture. The ship's hull and superstructure are based on composite materials. Robotic complexes and new radar equipment significantly reduce the crew.

The layout of the ship is based on the principle of modularity, which allows any other type of weaponry to be assembled on board. A distinctive feature of the corvette is the presence in the hold of the ship of capacious hangars with hatches in the sides of the surface part. Compared to the basic design, in practice the ships should have a contractual displacement of no more than 2,500 tons. For comparison, it was originally announced that the new corvettes would have a displacement of 3-3.5 thousand tons.

The propulsion system on the ship is combined, it includes M90FR gas turbine engines and electric generators. The total power of the main engines is 54-55 thousand hp. Electric motors have a power of 4400 kW. The engines on the corvette are of domestic assembly, which makes the ships completely independent from the supply of equipment from abroad. ship with gas turbine plant should have top speed speed up to 30 knots and an economical cruising range of 5000 km.

The new corvette, even at the design stage, was very different from its predecessors. Unlike the Steregushchy corvette, the new vessel has better seaworthiness, the cruising range and autonomy should increase. More comfortable living conditions for personnel have been created on the ship.

Armament project 20386

New Russian corvettes will be significantly reinforced with stationary types of naval weapons. Assessing the design characteristics of the corvette 20386, we can already say that the ship has become an order of magnitude more powerful than the same type of ships built for foreign fleets.

In the bow of the corvette 20386 there is a package installation of the Redut anti-aircraft missile system. Behind her on the upper deck there is a powerful automatic 100 mm installation, and its tower is also made using Stealth technology.

In the main superstructure, the launchers of the main armament of the ship, the Uran anti-ship missile system, are hidden. Two AK-306 gun mounts are installed on the upper part of the superstructure on both sides, providing close cover for the ship. Two launchers are located in the internal hangars of the hull anti-submarine complex"Package-NK". With such a set of weapons, the new Russian corvette is able to effectively solve a variety of combat missions. It can act both independently as a patrol and as part of a formation of ships.

The corvette is also equipped with reconnaissance and rescue equipment. In the aft part there is a hangar and a takeoff area for a helicopter. In addition, the vessel is supposed to have unmanned aerial vehicles. aircraft. The latest means of electronic warfare will significantly enhance the combat capabilities of the ship. Domestic developments in this direction make it possible to create effective means of suppressing the navigation equipment of foreign ships. In terms of the quality of technical equipment, the introduction of new technologies in the design of the ship and the use innovative methods Russian warships can be compared with the new American and British ships of the Zumwalt and Daring types.

However, such a comparison does not seem entirely correct. The cost of building one American or British destroyer is incommensurable with the price of construction Russian ship, since foreign projects require a truly colossal appropriation. And the tactical and technical characteristics of foreign ships are strikingly different from the parameters that domestic project 20386 corvettes possess.

The final armament of the project 20386 corvettes has not yet been approved. In particular, one cannot discount the idea of ​​equipping warships cruise missiles"Caliber".

Finally

We can say that the only wise solution has finally been found and that project 20386 corvettes will become the very lifesaver that will bring the Russian Navy into proper shape. Today, the Russian Navy is in dire need of ships of this class. It all depends on how quickly the series will be built.

In the future, the corvettes of this project can become a solid support for Russian fleet. An analysis of recent events in the Eastern Mediterranean speaks in favor of the fact that almost any operational-tactical tasks can be solved warships less displacement. The presence of strike missile weapons makes modern small combat vessels an effective tool for military presence. A large series of ships of this type, given the low design cost, can solve the problem of technically equipping the fleet with new combat units in a short time.

The plans of the Supreme Naval Command, announced during the laying of the lead ship of project 20386, sound optimistic. The first ship is scheduled to be handed over to the fleet in 2021. Serial construction is still focused on the construction of 10 ships of this project. The total value of the contract is estimated at 20 billion rubles. Whether the corvette "Daring" will be able to take its rightful place in the battle formations of the domestic fleet - time will tell!

If you have any questions - leave them in the comments below the article. We or our visitors will be happy to answer them.

At the International Maritime Defense Show (IMDS-2017), which opens today in St. Petersburg, latest models warships of the future.

They were developed by specialists of the Krylov Scientific Center. A corvette stands out, the project of which is named "Breeze". Previously, there were no corvettes in our fleet at all. Ships similar to those of the West in terms of displacement and armament were called guard ships of the near sea zone. They were supposed to protect the water areas and coastal territories within the state maritime borders.

However, the development of naval technology made it possible to build ships of small displacement, which began to have excellent seaworthiness, a long cruising range and very powerful weapons. The saying is quite applicable to them: the spool is small, but expensive. At the same time, the main value of corvettes is not in their cost - they are relatively cheap, but in combat effectiveness.

When developing the concept of the corvette of the future, St. Petersburg shipbuilders focused on optimizing its seaworthiness. Fortunately, the unique experimental base of the Krylov Research Center allows you to choose the most successful lines and the entire architecture of the ship even on models.

The result was a completely new shape of the underwater part. This, in turn, gave the corvette increased stability during sea rolling, significantly reduced water resistance and facilitated traffic control. New form hull, which was confirmed by experiments in special pools, reduces the wave resistance by half, and the total - by a quarter at full speed. The shape of the nose bulb of the corvette is interesting. It has additional wings of pitching dampers.

When developing the concept of the corvette of the future, St. Petersburg shipbuilders focused on optimizing its seaworthiness

With the same engine power as on similar ships of this rank, it was possible to achieve a significant increase in speed. But the designers proposed a different option. The speed remained the same, and the power plant itself became less powerful, more compact and economical.

Thanks to this approach, significant volumes were released inside the case. And this made it possible to saturate the corvette with more and more variety various weapons. Its firepower has increased significantly.

The number of cells of universal vertical launchers for guided missile weapons has grown to 24 units while maintaining the size and displacement of the ship. Typically, the number of such launchers on ships with a displacement of about 2000 tons does not exceed twelve. The main missile weapons are anti-ship or universal, that is, missiles can also strike at ground targets.

The anti-aircraft defense of the Breeze-type corvette is quite powerful. These are 16 long-range anti-aircraft guided missiles and 32 short-range guided missiles. Anti-aircraft missile defense is complemented by a universal 100 mm automatic gun mount and two rapid-fire 30 mm automatic guns. In this case, the machines can be six-barreled or, in the performance of "Duet", twelve-barreled.

To combat submarines and for anti-torpedo protection, two four-tube torpedo tubes "Package" of 324 mm caliber are provided on the left and right sides.

The normal displacement of the Breeze corvette is 1980 tons, the full speed is 30 knots, the cruising range is 3500-4000 miles. Autonomy - 15 days, which allows you to make raids and away from your native shores. Other novelties of the Krylov Center are the Priboy universal landing ship, destroyer"Leader" and aircraft carrier "Storm". The designs of these ships have been worked out in detail. They can be built in the interests of the Russian Navy or for export.

As noted independent experts the destroyer "Leader" in terms of a set of characteristics is not inferior to modern and promising foreign counterparts. And the project of the landing ship "Priboy" today, in terms of the overall set of characteristics, is the best in the world.

The regular International Maritime Defense Show (IMDS-2017) has finished its work in St. Petersburg. The era of large state defense orders is coming to an end, and the desire of shipbuilders to take their piece of work and money is only growing. The fleet, in turn, is groping for new design solutions.

It's getting crowded on Vasilyevsky Island. Before us is the last IMDS, which took place on the territory of the Lenexpo complex in Gavan. Starting in 2019, the salon will be moved to Kronstadt, to the site of the Patriot Park branch being created there. This, of course, will complicate the logistics and the work of the participants - after all, for a multi-day business event, Vasilyevsky is much more accessible than Kotlin.

Noting the inexorable desire of the current leadership to gather all the major military-industrial exhibitions in the territories of their new offspring (other examples: Russia Arms Expo and the MAKS air show), I would only like to carefully wish that the reverse process does not happen under the next heads of the military department. The “new brooms” often have new hobbies, which may not have the best effect on the volume of costs and the efficiency of holding well-established, traditional events, whose life cycle designed for several generations of federal dignitaries.

Perhaps the main premiere of the salon was the long-awaited display of the Pantsir-M anti-aircraft missile and artillery system (in the export version of ME). The long road to the new "horned", as this type of weapon was irreverently nicknamed in the fleet, is finally coming to an end. The line of the Soviet "Kortik" finally received a very promising heir, already growing out of the usual framework of the "self-defense complex": the far border of the affected area was pushed back from 8-10 kilometers at the "Kortik" ("Kortika-M") to 20 kilometers, and the upper - from 4-6 to 15 kilometers. "Pantsir-M" is multi-channel: the combat module can simultaneously fire at up to four targets with four missiles aimed at them (the Kortikov modules could only fire one missile at one target).

ZRAK is planned to be placed on new ships of the Navy, where such weapons are provided (for example, on RTOs of project 22800 "Karakurt"), and on modernized ones (instead of the Kortikov installed there).

Class Drift

In the realities of domestic shipbuilding, a new subclass of ships began to emerge. The Northern Design Bureau (design bureau) has begun developing a “heavy” (with a displacement of more than 2000 tons, how much more is not specified) project 23800 corvette. Interest in the design and construction of large corvettes in this dimension (up to 4000 tons) was reported in a conversation with a correspondent and representatives of the Zelenodolsk shipbuilding plant.

"Heavy corvette" in our recent history shipbuilding has already been - "Novik", a multi-purpose patrol ship of project 12441 "Grom", laid down in 1997 with great fanfare. The construction was not mastered for financial reasons (the lead ship in 2001 prices pulled 8 billion rubles), and also because of the unavailability of weapons systems. Part of the design solutions (in particular, the propulsion system and the multi-channel Redut air defense system that existed only on paper) were dragged to the conceived just then new frigate project 22350.

Technically, there is logic in this. The corvette and frigate classes, set by the fleet almost 20 years ago, are noticeably swollen, it becomes a bit crowded in them. The frigate of the modernized project 22350M (in the jargon - "Supergorshkov"), as they wrote six months ago, will become at least a thousand tons heavier. At the current salon of the Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Navy for armaments, Vice Admiral Viktor Bursuk said that the increase in displacement would be even more significant - up to 8,000 tons. Corvette "Daring", laid down in St. Petersburg under project 20386, has a displacement of 3400 tons against 2200 for the basic project 20380.

It is not yet clear whether the fleet still needs something in the range of 1500-2000 tons - between the "heavy corvette" and small missile ships. Recall that it is from this size class that since the late 1990s has grown multipurpose ship the near sea zone, which later became the corvette of the long-suffering project 20380. Initially, they were going to change Soviet specialized "kids", including small missile ships of project 1234 and small anti-submarine ships of project 1124. But the time for design and redesign passed, the total displacement exceeded 2200 tons, and an expensive (and still unfinished) Redoubt was dragged on board.

On the this moment it is quite possible to repeat the ship according to the initial data for design: "Uranus" as strike weapons, "Pantsir-M" in the air defense circuit and "Package" as an anti-submarine (or a new guided missile used from launchers "Uranus", by analogy with the American container versions of the previous generation, where they unified the ASROC and Harpoon launchers). The only question is whether the fleet needs such a ship.

And the models are...

Here the Krylovsky Center believes that it is still required. The press was presented with a new corvette "Breeze" with a normal displacement of 1980 tons. True, going back to one of the four very old variants of the so-called "Corvette XXI" - this is a big hello from the early 2000s, when the ship's appearance was being worked out for the future project 20380.

The corvette should give 30 knots and at the same time carry a monstrous composition of airborne weapons: 24 UKKS launchers for Onyx and Caliber and 16 launchers for some kind of long-range air defense system. The latter seems to point to Redoubt, but the fact is that in the original XXI-2 project (the elements of which are completely repeated by Breeze), it was the S-300FM Fort-M air defense system with the 48N6 family of missiles. With the declared capabilities missile defense formations (and, probably, the composition of electronic weapons relying on such a case).

The question of how all this can be placed in 1980 tons, we will leave to shipbuilding professionals, and the question of cost finished product - .

However, the military even before was rather skeptical of the “ship modeling”, demonstrated with enviable constancy within the walls of the St. Petersburg Salon. “Models are models,” Vice Admiral Viktor Bursuk, Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Navy, politely answered the question of whether the fleet will build the notorious Priboy amphibious assault ship, this time presented at the stand.

Then he noticed that the fleet would order two ships of this class (without specifying the project), with the goal of getting them by 2025. From the report for 2015 (later ones are not available), it is known that from the type of landing ships two years ago they settled on two options. These are a landing helicopter dock ship with a displacement of 15,000 tons and a universal landing ship with a displacement of 35,000 tons. None of these projects, as far as can be judged, has yet been leaked to the public.

Consolidation behind the scenes

Meanwhile, in an industry already fed up big money, which has considered the limits of this fountain of abundance in the form of the completion of the "State Armament Program - 2020" and has realized its organizational and technological limits, the underlying processes of consolidation are growing.

For at least two years now, a plot has been developing around the attempts of the Ak-Bars holding, which controls the Zelenodolsk shipbuilding plant, to get the Zelenodolsk Design Bureau of the same name, which is organizationally part of the state.

Moreover, the plans in Zelenodolsk are big: in an interview with Lenta.ru, the general director of the plant, Renat Mistakhov, noted that in the future, in fact, we should talk about creating a wide-range machine-building holding that combines a number of competencies and industries that are in demand in shipbuilding. In particular, we are talking on the production of shafts, rudder propeller group, gearboxes and propulsion systems, as well as control systems. If a classic shipyard, Mistakhov emphasized, concentrates the production of 10-15 percent of the cost of the finished ship (and the rest goes to the assemblers), then after enlargement they plan to produce up to 40 percent of the cost of the final product.

USC itself is strongly opposed to this project, but this is just understandable: the appearance of a competitor in the industry is unlikely to be welcomed by anyone except the customer. However, government officials clearly favor the project. The Deputy Prime Minister stated that, in his opinion, the Zelenodolsk bureau "should work in Tatarstan."

The issue has already twice reached the level of a draft presidential decree, but both times it was stopped for revision. The last time this happened was in May of this year, after the transfer of part of the shares to the government of Tatarstan loomed in a potential deal.

The processes of intra-industry consolidation outside the state monopolies in the face of the inevitable fall in the state defense order are absolutely natural: there is a fight for costs and a shrinking food supply. It would be interesting to see what Ak-Bars will end up with and how competition will affect the growth of domestic shipbuilding opportunities. The issue price for the full-scale implementation of the project is still very high: according to Renat Mistakhov, the required investments amount to at least 10-15 billion rubles.